Semiconductor ICs such as semiconductor chips are collectively formed on a semiconductor wafer and undergo an electrical test before being separated into respective chips. For this electrical test, a probe card to be connected to electrode pads of each semiconductor IC as a device under test is used in general. Respective probes of the probe card contact the corresponding electrode pads of the device under test to cause the device under test to be connected to a tester for the electrical test (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1).
In such a probe card, a multilayer wiring base plate is used as a probe base plate, and multiple probes are arranged on one surface of the probe base plate. Also, in a wiring circuit incorporated in this probe base plate or multilayer wiring base plate, an electrical resistor is incorporated for the purpose of electrical matching such as impedance matching or for the purpose of control of supply power to the respective probes (for example, refer to Patent Literature 2).
To incorporate a resistor in such a multilayer wiring base plate, a thin-film resistor is buried and formed in a synthetic resin layer made of an electrical insulating material as a base material for the wiring base plate. This thin-film resistor is made of a metal material having a smaller linear expansion coefficient than a linear expansion coefficient of the aforementioned synthetic resin layer as a base material for the wiring base plate.
Thus, when the aforementioned electrical test of the device under test is performed under heat cycle test conditions, the aforementioned thin-film resistor of the probe card results in receiving relatively large stresses repeatedly at a border with the synthetic resin layer in accordance with a difference in the linear expansion coefficient between the thin-film resistor and the synthetic resin layer to which the thin-film resistor is fixed. Such repeated stresses by the temperature shock promote deterioration of the thin-film resistor and cause breakage.
Citation List
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Appln. Public Disclosure No. 2010-151497
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Appln. Public Disclosure No. 2008-283131